Using Reference Data to Inform Standard-Setting
States must consider setting standards when they launch a new test, revise their content standards, or make other changes that could influence assessment comparability.
Read MoreCategory: Large Scale
Evolving Expectations for Fairness in Testing
Comparing the two most recent versions of The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing shows the field’s changing conceptions of fairness.
Read More
Score Reporting Isn’t Enough: What Comes Next Matters
Test score data could be more useful if we built a constellation of supports and resources that helped users see their next steps.
Read More
The Secret to Making Policy Stick: Getting the Advice You Need
Policies don’t implement themselves. Three key advisory groups can help states move from concept to classroom.
Read More
The Challenges of Assessing 21st Century Competencies
A new report from the Center explores the challenges of assessing 21st century competencies and offers practical advice.
Read More
Assessment Score Reports Must Get Better!
Two relatively easy changes in states’ assessment score reports can go a long way toward helping users understand the results.
Read More
Test Security: Expanding Our Ideas to Support Score Integrity
Test security has typically focused on preventing, detecting and acting on irregularities. But it should also support fairness and equity.
Read More
Through-Year Assessment: The Importance of Score Reports
Score reports are crucial to a through-year assessment system. We interviewed users of Montana’s new system to see how they interpreted and planned to use information from score reports.
Read More
“This Test Is Instructionally Useful.” Where’s the Evidence?
Companies often say their assessments are instructionally useful, but they rarely provide evidence to support those claims.
Read More
Assessment Consequences Matter: A Look Back at RILS 2024
Our annual conference asked an important question: How do we minimize the unintended negative consequences of assessment for individuals and systems?
Read More
Shifts in Student Enrollment: Should They Affect Test Score Interpretations?
Schools that experience pronounced enrollment shifts should consider their impact when interpreting achievement patterns over time.
Read More
Instructionally Useful Assessments: Don’t Tell Us—Show Us
Education leaders and vendors claim that many assessments are “instructionally useful.” Such claims must be highly specific, and supported by evidence.
Read More
Assessment Data Masquerading as Instructionally Useful Information
Which kinds of tests provide information that helps teachers adjust their instruction? We outline 10 key features of instructionally useful assessments
Read More
What We’re Up To: Center Presentations at NCSA
We’re giving a bunch of interesting presentations at the National Conference on Student Assessment in June. Here’s a rundown of what we’re doing.
Read More
Peer Review: Can Emerging Programs Meet the Requirements?
Through-year and other novel test designs face challenges in peer review. Three changes by the U.S. Department of Education could improve the process.
Read More
The Future of Assessment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Google’s recent release of Gemini showcases AI’s potential to reshape educational assessment. We must be open to these changes, while monitoring and managing their risks.
Read More
Do We Really Need to Test All Students Every Year?
We can reduce testing in schools without sacrificing meaningful annual reports on students’ learning.
Read More
Three Common Misconceptions About State Assessments
Experts shed light on key aspects of state testing: comparability, proficiency, and instructional utility.
Read More